Holiday Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks in Phoenix

Okay so we may not have white snow accompanied by extremely low temperatures, but that doesn’t mean the desert can’t feel like Christmas! This year, two Valley hotspots will bring the holiday spirit and some winter fun with two outdoor ice skating rinks!

Former Skating Olympian’s Downtown Scottsdale Rink – Palavala Home
The man behind the new and only outdoor rink in Scottsdale is none other than former ice skating Olympian Ryan O’Meara! O’Meara has since created local interior design store Palavala Home and is bringing a 30×40 square foot skating rink, which can accommodate 40 people at a time, to sit outside of Palavela Home in Old Town Scottsdale starting Thursday, December 2 and will stay open to the public through December 31. Rink will be closed December 23-25.

But that’s not all… Each week, Palavela Home will donate 15% of the monies raised to their respective non-profits. Each organization will also receive a free three hour skating session for their supporters during their week! There will also be professional and amateur ice shows to the rink for onlookers to watch for free, including a performance by O’Meara!

December 2-8: Homeward Bound
December 9-15: Southwest Center for HIV and AIDS
December 16-22: ALS Association of Arizona

The skating shows will include skaters from the Ice Den, performing each Thursday evening in December during the Art Walk and also each Saturday in December during the afternoon hours. Onlookers can expect to see local skaters, group numbers and solo skating. Palavela Home owner Ryan O’Meara will also be performing with his skating partner Emily Nussear for a special show.

The cost will be $15 per person which includes a 45 minute skating session and skate rentals.

Palavela Home is named after the arena Ryan skated at in Torino, Italy for the 2006 Winter Olympics. It is located at 4222 N. Marshall Way in Scottsdale. For more information visit www.palavelahome.com.

CityScape’s Holiday Ice Skating Rink in Downtown Phoenix
The newly opened CityScape project is already making a great name for themselves when it comes to entertainment- especially now that they have built and opened : a frozen ice skating rink open daily to the public!

The rink will join a Holiday Tree and vivid displays of holiday lights and ornaments, rekindling a downtown seasonal tradition that has been dormant for several years.
CityScape’s rink opened last Saturday, November 27 and will be open for skaters through January 15, 2011, from 3 to 11 p.m. From opening night until December 22, special “Skating with Santa” hours will occur nightly at 6 and 8 p.m.

The rink, located on the west block of the project, between Central and First Avenue in Patriots Square, will include real ice – the kind usually found only in refrigerator freezers in Phoenix. It is large enough to hold approximately 100 skaters! The cost is $10 per skater, and skaters may stay as long as they like.

The operator of CityScape has announced that the rink will be a new annual tradition at the new development in Phoenix.